He missed a couple of Tests in the summer, and England won. Ian Bell looked good at number 3 for two innings. So people have forgotten what a shower the number 3 spot was before Trott came along.

Now England may want to play 2 spinners, so people (including the otherwise excellent Mike Holmans) are suggesting that Trott is the obvious man to miss out because he can’t play spinners as well as everyone else. These people are completely, unequivocally, wrong.

And for once, I am going to back up my assertion with facts.

Jonathan Trott has been out the grand total of 5 times to a spinner in 23 Test matches. In doing this, he has averaged more than 70 against them. It should also be added that Pakistan are a bit more than Saeed Ajmal, they also have three other blokes known as “international seamers”. Is that enough to debunk a myth?

If not, consider this – Kevin Pietersen (who shouldnt be dropped either) has been out to spin 46 times in 78 matches, and averages 47.